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Archives for April 2021

NHL Postpones Canucks Games Through April 6

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The NHL has postponed three more games for the Vancouver Canucks, shutting them down through April 6 after Travis Hamonic was added to the COVID protocol today. Hamonic joined Adam Gaudette, who has tested positive for coronavirus and a member of the team’s coaching staff.

The league is hoping that the Canucks will be able to play on April 8 against the Calgary Flames, but games against the Edmonton Oilers and Winnipeg Jets in the coming days will have to be pushed. All practices have also been canceled for the time being.

Vancouver and the rest of the North Division had been doing well until recently when several games have been postponed. The league had just issued a schedule update over the weekend and will now have to go back to the drawing board in order to fit in all 56 games by the end of the year.

COVID Protocol Related Absences: 04/01/21

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Each day, the NHL will publicly release the list of players that are unavailable to their respective teams due to being in COVID-19 Protocol. Here is the list for today:

Boston – Jake DeBrusk
Los Angeles – Brendan Lemieux
Minnesota – Zach Parise
Montreal – Joel Armia, Eric Staal
NY Rangers – Brett Howden 
Vancouver –Adam Gaudette, Travis Hamonic*

As a reminder, inclusion on this list does not mean that a player has tested positive for Coronavirus or even that they have been confirmed as a close contact to another positive person. Included in the NHL’s list of possible reasons for someone being on the list is are the following:

(1) an initial positive test which remains unconfirmed until confirmatory testing is completed pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (2) mandated isolation for symptomatic individuals pursuant to the Positive Test Protocol; (3) required quarantine as a high-risk close contact in accordance with the Positive Test Protocol; (4) isolation based on a confirmed positive test result and/or; (5) quarantine for travel or other reasons as outlined in the COVID-19 Protocol

Players removed today: Alexander Volkov, Anaheim Ducks

Volkov has cleared the protocol for Anaheim and is expected to play in his first game since being traded from the Lightning last month.

The big question mark remains Vancouver, who had their game postponed last night after Gaudette’s confirmed positive result. A member of the team’s coaching staff was also put into the protocol and now Hamonic has joined them. The league has shut down the Canucks through April 6 in response.

*denotes new addition

Chandler Stephenson Suspended Three Games

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The Department of Player Safety has come down hard on Vegas Golden Knights forward Chandler Stephenson, issuing him a three-game suspension for elbowing Los Angeles Kings defenseman Tobias Bjornfot last night. As the accompanying video explains:

It is important to note that while we accept Stephenson’s arguement that he did not attempt to hit Bjornfot in the head, this is not a case where a blow to an opponent’s torso or shoulder rides up and makes subsequent or glancing contact with his head. This is a direct and forceful elbow to an opponent’s head which caused an injury.

Bjornfot did not return to the game and is doubtful for the Kings game tomorrow. Stephenson has not been fined or suspended previously in his career and did receive both a major penalty and a game misconduct for the incident, but was still given a hefty ban today.

He’ll miss games against the Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues over the next few days, two teams chasing the Golden Knights in the West Division standings.

Taxi Squad Shuffle: 04/01/21

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There has been plenty of roster movement between NHL teams and the taxi squad on a daily basis this season. Although some major names may be highlighted in separate articles, this is where you’ll find the majority of that shuffle news each day:

West Division

North Division

Central Division

  • The Nashville Predators have recalled Tyler Lewington to the taxi squad from the AHL, sending Frederic Allard back to the Chicago Wolves in the process. Lewington, 26, played six games for the Capitals last season but hasn’t seen the NHL this year.
  • The Carolina Hurricanes have moved Max McCormick to the AHL, removing him from the taxi squad for the time being. The 28-year-old has played two games for the Hurricanes this season after scoring 35 points in 56 games for their AHL affiliate last year.
  • Dallas has made their daily forward shuffle. The Stars announced that Ty Dellandrea and Justin Dowling have been activated from the taxi squad.

East Division

This page will be updated throughout the day.

2021 Hobey Baker Hat Trick Finalists Announced

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The college hockey season may have looked a little different this year, but award voting went on anyway. Today, the Hobey Baker Hat Trick finalists were announced. The trophy is given to the top NCAA player in the country and has an impressive line of winners over the past few years. In 2014, Johnny Gaudreau took home the award as a junior for Boston College, followed by Jack Eichel in his only year for Boston University in 2015. Jimmy Vesey, Will Butcher, and Adam Gaudette don’t bring quite the same impact but are still NHL regulars after winning from 2016-18.

2019’s winner was University of Massachusetts defenseman Cale Makar, who has gone on to win the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s best rookie and is now dominating the league with the Colorado Avalanche. Last year the award was given to Scott Perunovich, but his NHL debut has been postponed thanks to a major shoulder injury.

The award also has several top NHL alumni in its small fraternity, including Neal Broten, Tom Kurvers, Paul Kariya, Chris Drury, Ryan Miller, and Brendan Morrison. With that group behind them, this year’s winner is certainly not someone to take lightly.

Earlier this year, more than 50 players from the NCAA ranks were nominated for the award, and ten finalists were announced last month. Those ten players have been narrowed to just three, your Hat Trick finalists:

Cole Caufield – University of Wisconsin (Montreal Canadiens)

Already signed to his entry-level contract with the Canadiens, Caufield is the overwhelming favorite to win the award. The 15th overall pick in 2019, he led the nation in goals (30) and points (51) and routinely showed he was on a different level skill-wise. The diminutive winger also took home the gold medal with Team USA at the World Juniors and has simply dominated at every level throughout his hockey career. His tenure at Wisconsin is over no matter what happens with the Hobey Baker, as he’ll start his pro career in the coming days.

Shane Pinto – University of North Dakota (Ottawa Senators)

Caufield wasn’t the only impressive forward in the country though and Pinto’s place in the final three is well deserved after another strong season. The 20-year-old center scored 32 points in 28 games for UND while routinely being asked to check the opponent’s best. Though he had more offensive players on his team, there might have been no one as valuable given how many important situations Pinto was deployed in. An elite faceoff man, dogged back checker, and strong offensive facilitator, his game should translate quickly to the pro level.

Dryden McKay – Minnesota State University-Mankato (undrafted)

Not to be forgotten is McKay, the small undrafted goaltender who just keeps stopping the puck. From the moment he stepped foot on the ice for the Mavericks he has been among the best in the country, posting a .934 save percentage in 96 games. His record of 75-14-4 speaks for how strong the team around him has been during that stretch as well, but there’s no reason to doubt McKay’s contributions. For the second straight season he posted 10 shutouts, this time in just 25 games. Though his size may keep him from being an NHL starter in the long run, his college career has been almost completely unblemished to this point.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Florida Panthers Sign Matt Kiersted

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The Florida Panthers have inked one of the top undrafted college free agents, signing Matt Kiersted to a two-year entry-level contract. Kiersted has spent the last four years at the University of North Dakota, becoming one of the most effective two-way defensemen in the country. Panthers GM Bill Zito released this statement on his newest player:

Matt is an exciting defenseman who plays the game with great speed and vision. His steady progression and development from an undrafted player to one of the NCAA’s top defensemen is a display of his resiliency and motivation to succeed. We are pleased to have agreed to a contract with Matt and look forward to his future with our organization.

Still just 22, Kiersted is joining the Panthers organization after recording 22 points in 29 games as a senior for UND. He wore an “A” as an alternate captain and was named to the NCHC First All-Star Team at the end of the year. Corey Pronman of The Athletic ranked Kiersted as the best undrafted free agent available from the college ranks, noting his very high hockey IQ and projecting him as a third-pairing defenseman in the NHL.

Like with any college free agent, there are warts in Kiersted’s game, but that doesn’t mean he won’t be a valuable addition to the Panthers. Bringing in an NHL-ready defenseman for nothing more than an entry-level contract is always a win. Now it’s up to the young defenseman to prove he’s more than just that depth option and continue his development in an organization where everything is suddenly going right.

Chandler Stephenson To Have Hearing With Department Of Player Safety

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The Department of Player Safety has another big day ahead of them. Not only is Nathan MacKinnon’s helmet throw likely being looked at for supplementary discipline, but Chandler Stephenson of the Vegas Golden Knights will also have a hearing today to determine his suspension for a high hit.

The incident occurred late in the second period of last night’s game against the Los Angeles Kings with the Golden Knights down 4-1. Stephenson tracked Tobias Bjornfot into the corner and after the puck had already been passed away, delivered a high hit that injured the Kings defenseman. After the referees huddled to decide his fate, Stephenson was given a five-minute major for elbowing and a game misconduct. Bjornfot would leave the game.

The Vegas center will likely have to face a suspension of at least one game, taking him out of the team’s match tomorrow against the Minnesota Wild. A ruling should come down later this evening.

Ottawa Senators Sign Jacob Bernard-Docker

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The Ottawa Senators already have an exciting group of young players and today they are adding to that mix. Jacob Bernard-Docker has signed his entry-level contract, ending his college career. Following his seven-day quarantine, the young defenseman will report directly to the Senators. GM Pierre Dorion released a short statement about his newest player:

Jacob represents another key component of our future. He’s very mature for his age and already possesses great gap and stick detail within his game. He’s an exemplary leader and a winner who we’re looking forward to seeing in our lineup.

Bernard-Docker, 20, recently finished his junior season at the University of North Dakota. Signing his three-year entry-level deal means he will abandon his senior season and become a professional, burning the first season of the deal in 2020-21.

Selected 26th overall in 2018, Bernard-Docker isn’t made from the same stuff as so many other highly drafted defensemen. Though his offensive game is fine, and resulted in strong numbers at UND, it is the way he controls a game defensively that will be his calling card at the next level. The winner of the NCHC Best Defensive Defenseman this season, he has shown an elite shutdown ability at the college and international level, using his mobility and a lightning-fast stick to disrupt rushes. Once he does win the puck back, Bernard-Docker is a talented escape artist, quickly moving it out of danger and up to his forwards.

In a perfect world, the right-handed defenseman will become the natural partner for Thomas Chabot, creating an elite pairing for the Senators in the coming years. Expecting that down the stretch might be pushing it, but it does sound like Bernard-Docker will be making his NHL debut fairly soon.

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